SYLLABUS

Isometric Embeddings (Math 8803) Fall 2019, Georgia Tech

Lecture
M W 3:00-4:15 Skiles 246

Instructor

Professor Mohammad Ghomi

Course Description

The main aim of this class is to study the isometric rigidity of closed smooth surfaces in Euclidean space, which has been a major open problem in differential geometry dating back to Euler and Maxwell. We will go over a host of related results, relevant techniques, and auxiliary problems ranging from discrete and polyhedral geometry to the theory of partial differential equations. The results we will cover include:

Prerequisites

Interest in geometry or its potential applications, together with mathematical maturity at the level of a beginning math grad student. There will be no specific course requirements; however, some familiarity with differential geometry (e.g., Math 6455) or manifold theory (e.g., Math 6452) could be helpful. Advanced undergraduate students with some knowledge of classical differential geometry of curves and surfaces (e.g., Math 4441) may also take this class.

Texts

We will study various handouts, papers, and excerpts from different texts including:

Grading

The grade is based on class participation (the students are expected to attend all lectures) and a class presentation or project.